KAILUA-KONA — Chris Brown has spent most of his adult life fishing commercially, but he had two unique experiences on the water Sunday before unexpectedly encountering a familiar face at a most opportune time.
KAILUA-KONA — Chris Brown has spent most of his adult life fishing commercially, but he had two unique experiences on the water Sunday before unexpectedly encountering a familiar face at a most opportune time.
At about 11 a.m., 15-foot swells in the choppy seas 4 miles off Honokohau Harbor toppled Brown’s boat after it began taking on more water than the bilge pump could manage.
The submerged parachute he deployed to hold his vessel in the current and allow him to drop his long line to the necessary depth pulled the boat down in the water when he tried to escape.
Brown, 29 and resident of Hawaii for the past 12 years, and two passengers on the 15-foot vessel were tossed overboard as the boat flipped upside down. It was the first time he’s ever capsized.
“I should have cut the stupid (chute) off,” Brown said. “I’ve been fishing a long time, and I would have never imagined something like that would have happened to me.”
What happened next, or rather what didn’t happen, came as an even bigger shock to Brown.
“There were a bunch of guys out there who saw what happened, but they didn’t do anything about it,” he said. “I know a couple individuals saw us and just kept fishing. I’m kind of upset about that. When you see people in distress on a boat and you’re witnessing it, you’re supposed to go help them no matter what. It’s just kind of sad.”
Luckily for Brown and his passengers, a charter fishing boat — the High Noon — chose to honor the maritime code.
John Stephenson of Wyoming chartered the boat with members of his family, all of whom are visiting Hawaii for a wedding. The passengers on the High Noon notified Capt. Jaen Nogues that there was a boat turtled in the water.
“The captain quickly looked at us and said basically that our fishing charter was over,” Stephenson said.
Nogues and his first mate, Stuart Clements, sped to the area and began pulling in the distressed mariners. That’s when Clements, a Florida native, looked down and saw a face he recognized — the face of his high school friend Matt Brown’s younger brother, Chris.
“Chris, what the hell are you doing out here?” Clements asked, taken aback.
“Hey, Stu,” Brown replied nonchalantly. “What’s up?”
Clements knew Brown was on the island, and had stopped by his place in Hawi during one of Matt’s visits about six months ago. The two brothers were working on a project boat at the time, the same boat that bobbed upside down in the water Sunday.
“It was just a weird coincidence,” Clements said. “Of all the people out here, for him to be the guy I was looking down at, it was just strange. I used to travel all around Florida with his family ever since he was a little kid. I’ve known him for 20 years and then this happens 6,000 miles away (from home).”
The current was ripping north with substantial force, Clements explained, as debris from the boat was already hundreds of yards away only minutes after the watercraft capsized.
Brown said he was never fearful for himself, but he was concerned for his passengers, who were without life vests, as well as for the boat he spent months working on and in which he’d invested a considerable amount of capital.
It took roughly three hours to bring Brown’s boat back to nearshore waters, where a collaborative effort was undertaken to flip it upright.
While there was some damage, Brown said he’ll be able to salvage the vessel.
Email Max Dible at mdible@westhawaiitoday.com.